How to get rid of mosquitoes at home and keep them out

NBC News Top Stories · collected 2026-09-05 · by Cory Fernandez
Read the original at NBC News Top Stories ↗

Summary

A pest control expert and the president of Standard Pest Management recommend using mosquito dunks to prevent mosquitoes from taking over homes. Mosquito dunks are small rings that dissolve in water and release chemicals killing mosquito larvae for up to 30 days and covering up to 100 square feet. A Thermacell device creates a 20-foot radius repelling mosquitoes with a chemical released by the rechargeable lithium ion battery-powered unit. The article recommends three products, all of which are highly rated on Amazon with perfect or near-perfect ratings from thousands of shoppers.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
64
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
12%
8 of 64 hedged
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher trust
95.0
red-flag proxy, not a credibility rating
Outlets on this story
1
Health
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Analyzed 2026-09-06 · how these are computed

AI analysis (generated at analysis time, not now)

Story summary

Mosquitoes can be a major problem in homes, especially if they bring diseases like malaria or Zika virus. According to pest control experts, getting rid of mosquitoes isn't just about finding the right products, but also about using methods to prevent them from entering the home in the first place. Experts at Orkin and Standard Pest Management recommend using mosquito dunks, which kill larvae before they can grow into biting pests. These dunks are particularly useful for homes with standing water, such as those with gardens or potted plants. To prevent mosquitoes from coming inside, it's essential to remove any sources of standing water and use products that can help keep them at bay. Some highly-rated products on Amazon include mosquito repellents and traps that have received excellent reviews from customers.

Written for “Mosquito Control Remedies” on 2026-09-07, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 5042 · logged 2026-09-06

Story

📰 Mosquito Control Remedies
Health · 1 article(s) covering the same event. This is the one the site leads with.

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Compared with similar articles

Nothing to compare against. No article is close enough to this one for the pipeline to have linked or judged the pair.

Publisher

NBC News Top Stories · 164 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected
SignalValueWeight
Correction rate 0.000 0.4
Uncertainty density 0.100 0.25
Assertive mismatch rate 0.000 0.35
No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Who wrote this

Cory Fernandez
3 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The replaceable bulb is also surrounded by fire-proof plastic, according to the brand, so it could contain a fire if one broke out.
2026-09-05 · assertive framing · How to get rid of mosquitoes at home and keep them out
🔮 Keep reading to find out which bag was our top pick, what it had that the others didn’t, plus which types of tasks and events each beach tote might be best for.
Also by Cory Fernandez
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Amazon NBC Selected Orkin Standard Pest Management Thermacell

Subjects

Amazon ORG · 1× Gil Bloom PERSON · 1× Murphy’s Naturals ORG · 1× NBC Selected ORG · 1× Orkin ORG · 1× Shannon Sked PERSON · 1× Standard Pest Management ORG · 1× Thermacell ORG · 1×

Narrative

If you have a home that’s surrounded by a lot of standing water (this is common if you have a garden with lots of potted plants, for example), find a way to drain it or use a mosquito dunk to kill larvae before they can grow and become biting pests — essentially, stunting reproduction.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-06
🔮 The replaceable bulb is also surrounded by fire-proof plastic, according to the brand, so it could contain a fire if one broke out.
2026-09-06 · NBC News Top Stories
How to get rid of mosquitoes at home and keep them out · assertive framing

Claims (64 extracted, 8 hedged)

Even the cleanest homes have their fair share of messes and every so often flying pests make their way in. asserted
pests → have → way
For a lot of people, mosquitoes, which sometimes carry deadly diseases, become a major problem. asserted
which → carry → diseases
Getting rid of mosquitoes at home isn’t just about finding the best products to kill them, but it’s also about using the right methods to stop them from coming inside in the first place. asserted
it → rid → place
With this in mind, I talked to pest control experts to learn how to get rid of mosquitoes at home, keep them away all year and prevent bites. asserted
I → talk → bites
Below, I include our experts’ guidance and product recommendations for making the task easier. asserted
task → include → guidance
The best products for getting rid of mosquitoes All of the products below are highly rated on Amazon and have a perfect five-star rating from well over 3,000 shoppers, and at least a four-star average rating from 5,000 or more shoppers. asserted
All → rid → shoppers
Both Shannon Sked, an entomologist and national technical director at Orkin, and Gil Bloom, the president at Standard Pest Management recommended using mosquito dunks as one of the best remedies for preventing mosquitoes from taking over your home. asserted
Bloom → recommend → home
Mosquito dunks are small round rings that you put in water, including bird baths, flower pots and ponds, that dissolve and release chemicals that kill mosquito larvae. asserted
that → put → larvae
This set includes six dunks, each of which works for at least 30 days and works for up to 100 square feet, according to the brand. uncertain
each → include → brand
Shoppers also love that though they kill mosquito larvae, the dunks aren’t toxic to other animals, which makes them safe to use in water troughs, such as for horses. asserted
them → love → horses
This device from Thermacell sort of creates a force field for a small area to repel mosquitoes. asserted
device → create → mosquitoes
It’s rechargeable, runs on a lithium ion battery and releases a chemical that repels mosquitoes for up to 20 feet, according to the brand. uncertain
that → ’ → brand
It’s about the size of a stemless wine glass and includes a USB-C cable. asserted
It → ’ → cable
Perfect for using outside during a party or when camping, it also comes with multiple cartridges of the chemical, and each one lasts for 12 hours at a time. asserted
one → use → time
People who bought the device also say they like that it doesn’t emit a smell. asserted
it → buy → smell
This bug zapping device helps kill mosquitoes and multiple types of flying insects, including flies and moths. asserted
device → zap → flies
It uses a 4200-volt, blue-violet light bulb that attracts mosquitoes to it and zaps them. asserted
that → use → them
The replaceable bulb is also surrounded by fire-proof plastic, according to the brand, so it could contain a fire if one broke out. uncertain
one → surround → fire
It also has a tray on the bottom to catch the zapped insects, which is removable when it’s time to clean. asserted
it → have → insects
It has a loop on the top, so you can hang it near your door or anywhere around your lawn. asserted
you → have → lawn
I’ve included this popular insect trap in many roundups about how to get rid of flying pests. asserted
I → include → pests
It is a great option for killing mosquitoes in your home without having to catch them yourself. asserted
It → kill → them
It plugs into an outlet, emits a blue ultraviolet light that attracts mosquitoes, house flies and fruit flies, and has a cartridge attached with an adhesive side that traps them. asserted
that → plug → them
Each cartridge lasts anywhere from one to two months, according to the brand. uncertain
cartridge → last → brand
Some shoppers also love how easy it is to set up and that the adhesion works well. asserted
adhesion → love → ?
This balm is a mosquito repellent for your body (not your home), so it’s suitable for use when you spend time outdoors, but you can wear it indoors if you see mosquitoes in your space. asserted
you → ’ → space
It’s DEET-free and made from a mix of castor, lemongrass, rosemary, cedarwood and peppermint oils and beeswax. asserted
It → ’ → castor
It has a lemon fragrance, which many people who bought the product love. asserted
who → have → product
Apply it to parts of your body that aren’t covered by clothing. asserted
that → apply → clothing
Since it’s in a 2-ounce tin, you can easily bring it with you on a trip or to run errands. asserted
you → ’ → errands
Murphy’s Naturals also makes a citronella candle made from soy, beeswax and essential oils that has a citrus and herb fragrance. asserted
that → make → fragrance
They have 30 hours of burn time (the 9 ounce option), which means 30 hours of repelling mosquitoes. asserted
which → have → mosquitoes
Since candles have an active flame, they require supervision, making them best for camping or barbecues, not just to be left burning outside of your home at all times. asserted
them → have → times
They’re available in three sizes: tea lights, 3.5 ounces and 9 ounces. asserted
They → ’re → sizes
How I picked the best products for getting rid of mosquitoes There are several important factors that go into selecting the best products for getting rid of mosquitoes at home. asserted
that → pick → home
Here’s what experts recommended I keep in mind when making the list above: asserted
I → ’ → list
- Source: The first important thing to do when getting rid of mosquitoes is to identify where the mosquitoes are coming from and/or how they’re getting into your home. asserted
they → do → home
“The most common cause of mosquito problems at home is standing water, since mosquitoes need it to breed,” says Sked. asserted
Sked → need → it
“Mosquitoes can breed in as little as a bottle cap of water, so even small amounts collected in gutters, plant containers or poorly drained soil can support their life cycle.” asserted
amounts → breed → cycle
It’s also important to make sure you’re doing proper upkeep of your lawn and other areas around your home. asserted
you → ’ → home
…and 24 more, not listed.
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